"You want to know how I formed my core?" Helen could already tell what Nathan was getting at. "If you don't mind." He replied awkwardly. Helen revealed a bright smile as she dropped her note and stood up.
"I was thinking about when you'd come around to ask me." She lampooned. "You knew I'd end up asking for your help?"
"More or less, for Repairmen, forming a core can get difficult. It's only smart that to do so, you should ask those that are ahead of you. Isn't that right?" Nathan found no reason to disagree.
"I guess I was so caught up with things that I didn't think to ask for your help." "It's fine."
Nathan felt a bit more confident as he stared at Helen. "Could you advise me on how I could form my core?... I need your help." Helen had already decided to help him but his heartfelt request was still nice to hear.
"Of course, I'll help you. But not by giving you something complex or as they would put it, 'profound'." Helen air quoted the words before she continued. "The one thing they never tell you is that for different people, you have to visualize a different thing while forming a core.
"The original quote is, Like a pottery maker, a cultivator guides the tachyon and molds it into a suitable container, right?" Nathan nodded in agreement. "But in this age where pottery makers are nowhere to be seen. How would one be able to visualize clay and mold it?"
This question caused Nathan to enter into deep contemplation. She had a point, he had never seen a pottery maker. How would he be able to visualize to copy it?
"Do you get what I'm saying?" Helen asked a minute later, hopeful that he had used the time given to him to understand a thing or two.
"I think I understand. So basically to create a core, we should imagine something we are familiar with and use that as a point of contact?" Helen smiled.
"Now you are getting it. You aren't like the others. Just like me, Nate, you are also in love with gadgets and technology. So do something. Just like how you have been dismantling and rearranging weapons for over three weeks now. It's time you did the same to your core."
An epiphany hit Nathan as he facepalmed. He suddenly began to laugh after which he shook his head. "You have a point." He sighed and said. "I think I'll be leaving early today."
"Mn, that's fine by me. You can leave, you were bothering my thoughts anyway." Helen casually said. Nathan left in a hurry with Helen watching his back as he left. "I hope you do well."
***
Nathan had come over to the training center to make use of one of the cultivation chambers. The blue crystal was almost exhausted, he needed to supplement it.
"Just like how they were dismantled and rearranged." Nathan was searching through his thoughts to pick the best example. He had worked on a variety of weapons ever since the practical class from before.
There were originally two reasons why. The first was because of the system side mission. It increased his understanding of the weapon he dismantled and reassembled.
It allowed him to spot issues and underlying problems and also figure out ways to improve on them. The second reason is tied to the first one.
If his understanding of the weapons reached a high enough level, he saw it as an opportunity to not only capitalize on the flaws they might have to create better weapons, but also to create new ones.
He wasn't a veteran soldier that would know how weapons worked and stuff like that. He could only hope for the system to help him with that.
Sitting cross-legged now in a cultivation chamber, Nathan would have never believed that the system mission would have her another application. He was about to attempt to form a core using the principle he understood while dismantling and rearranging those weapons.
"Hah, I hope this works." Nathan hoped for the best as he put up his right hand. "Thunder, activate cultivation chamber. I want to begin training."
[Noted sir.]
He waited patiently for what was to follow.
[Cadet Nathaniel Holt is making use of Chamber #8091. Beginning tachyon infusion sequence… 1…2…3…4…25…100. Proceeding with infusion process.]
Nathan initiated the breathing technique he had chosen, Panda breath just as blue mist-like gas began to leak in from the vents. Nathan took in long and hard breaths before slowly exhaling.
The blue mist permeated his body and went wherever. This should have caused Nathan to stop seeing as tachyon energy was not meant to be left in the body tissues for too long.
Instead, he was attempting to form his core despite the discomfort he felt. "Ugh." Ten minutes later and Nathan's veins bulged out and seemed to be slightly blue.
"I can't give up yet. Just visualize it, visualize the Sniper." He chose to go with the Sniper he had worked with that day.
Everywhere around his body, tachyon mist moved through and caused him great pain. Nathan began to make progress as the core showed signs of being molded.
He kept on repeating the image in his mind, he absolutely could not let it go. "Just let me have this!!" Nathan cried inwardly as he pushed forward.
***Whoosh***
The tachyon within his body began to take shape. At first, it looked like the bottom end of a glass cup but soon enough it began to evolve. But by the time, the core reached its final phase, several hours had already passed.
He had triumphed and was successful in creating a core that looked a lot like a gun magazine. Now all that was left was to fill it up.
His core was peculiar in the sense that most cores would be circular or at least, spherical but his was… rectangular.
"Slowly… slowly." The breathing technique allowed him to guide the tachyon mist towards his core. At first, it moved like a small lake but it suddenly began to rush in like a tide.
"Ugh…" That was a big negative for Nathan as he groaned in pain.
Due to the sudden influx of energy, Nathan felt like his core was about to break apart. He had been too anxious which was why the tachyon movement suddenly switched tempo.
"I can't give up yet." He began to breathe through his mouth as he sorts to maintain his breathing technique. He was luckily successful as it soon stabilized.
Once the core was filled, Nathan felt a powerful surge of power through his body. His bones were toughened, his muscles were strengthened, and his senses were heightened.
He felt like the 'proverbial' super-soldier. He slowly opened his eyes and once he looked down at his hand, he clenched it. "… I did it. I freaking did it."
Nathan could not believe it. He had finally created a core of his own. That meant he wouldn't be getting kicked off the squad. "Awesome!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.
He felt like crying at that moment. It was indeed a special moment for him. He pulled up his watch. "Thunder, Call Elena." [Calling Squad member, Elena Blake.]
A holographic screen appeared from the watch after which it switched to show Elena in her room. She looked to be wearing a crop top at this point.
Nathan felt a little flustered by the exposed skin, his cheeks reddening a little. "Hey, you called?... Is everything okay?" Elena asked in a friendly manner. Due to certain reasons, Elena had placed her initial thoughts to befriend him on hold.
If he was truly worth it, there wouldn't be a need for her to approach him. "Uh… Yeah, yeah." It took a few seconds before Nathan regained himself. "I called to inform you that I have created my tachyon core.
Elena opened her eyes in surprise. "Congratulations. I'm glad you can remain with us." Nathan chuckled awkwardly. "Haha, so I called to inform you to enter my name into the squadron final list."
"Of course. I'll do just that." The hologram was turned off and Elena had a bright smile on her face. "I'm glad you made it." She did not bother to tell Nathan that his name had already been included in the final list.
Those that did not have their names recorded by their squad Heralds by the end of the month-long period to forge a core, would immediately be sent on probation. She was glad Nathan had narrowly escaped.
"Time to check my stats," Nathan muttered to himself enthusiastically as he called for his status window and stared at it.
[Name: Nathaniel Holt.]
[Gender: Male.]
[Position: Repairman.]
[Height: 173.5cm.]
[Weight: 60.8kg.]
[Agility: 13m/s.]
[Strength: 440kg.]
[Status: Healthy, Happy.]
[Tachyon affinity: 45%.]
[Core quality: Navy blue.]
[Constitution: Poor.]
[Intelligence Quotient: 167.]
[Cultivation base: Core formation (Low).]
[Tachyon core level: 100%.]
[General evaluation: Cultivation will be limited and will take time to develop. The assumed cultivation base before a bottleneck occurs, is the Fourth base.]